Internal-combustion engine.



W. A. DITTMER.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. I. 1916.

1,250,991. Patented Dec. 25,1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

wvamtoz W. A. DITTMER.

INTERNAL'COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED 050.1, 1916.

Patented Dec. 25, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Jill/MI lll/l/l/l ammw foz 9217, @w v Lmmmv 641cm m 0 Specification of Letters Patent.

application filed luecembcr 1, 1918. Serial its 334,362],

To all whom 2'2; may concern:

c it known that l, Witnrntt A. DITTMER,

he county of ll hitinan and State gton, have invented certain new useful;improvements in Internal-Coin on Engines; and it do hereby declare t o following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will i e others skilled in the art t which it is to malts and use the same.

nvcntion which relates to improvein'ternal-combustion engines of the ie type for it principal object angc the construction of such so as to develop greate power and speed (shout increasing the weight the ma- .ine or the stroke or bore thereof. attain object to the provision of two cylinders 11 inal alinement and a hollow piston. having portions operating in the two cylinders, explosive charges being alternately tired in said cylinders whereby twice as many working strokes may be had as with the usual form of four-cycle engines.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel system of lubricationand cooling which consists merely in placing a number of ports and a passage so as to permit one portion of the piston to act as a pump for drawing air and oil from the hol low piston'into the two cylinders and for retir such air and oil into said piston.

With the foregoing general object in view, the invention resides in certain novel features of construction and in unique combinations of parts to be hereinafter fully de-' scribed and claimed, the descriptive matter being supplemented by the accompanying drawings which constitute a part of this application, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the im proved engine showing more particularly the arrangement of valves and the operating means therefor, the intake and exhaust manifolds being omitted;

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section of the engine; and

Fig. 3 is a sectional perspective of the packing ring employed at the juncture oi the inner cylinder with the crank case.

ln the drawings above briefly described, the numeral 1 has reference to a suitable crank case having in its top 2 a circular opening 3 and having on said top a continuous vertical flange which is spaced out wardly from and is concentric with said opening. it collar 5 is received snugly in the flange d and is formed on its upper with an inwardly extending iiauge (3 termihating in vertical alincmcnt with the wall of the openii g 3, said coils formed with openings 'Y' which serve to admit sufiicient air to cool the piston packing 8 which is confined within the collar 5 between the flange 3 and the top of the crank case.

The packing 8 consists of a plurality of parts now to he described, but the numerous reterence characters occurring in this description appear on Fig. 3 and are eliminated from Fig. 2 for the sake of clearness. A ring stands on edge upon the top 2 adjacent the collar 5 and is provided with an in wardly extending continuous flange l0 midway between its upper and lower edges. Above and below the flange 10 packing rings 11 are disposed in close proximity to the inner face of the ring 9,, said rings 11 being of a width to extend from flange 10 to the upper and lower edges of the ring 9. Contasting with the inner faces of the rings 11, are upper and lower pairs of rings 12 whose joints are located as shown in Fig. 3 to prevent leakage. The action of all of the rings 11 and 12 is the opposite of the usual piston rings, the latter having an expansive "force, while the former are so constructed as to cause them to contract around the piston to prevent leakage.

A lower cylinder 13 of comparatively large diameter rests on the upper edge of the collar 5 and is secured in place by machine screws or the like 1% refcrably disposed as illustrated. A second and smaller cylinder 15 extends from the upper end of cylinder 13 in line with the latter and is preferably formed integrally therewith, although the two might well be constructed of separate parts rigidly secured together in any well known manner. cooled, and in most cases it will, the cylinders will be provided with the usual external ribs 16.

The lowei end of the cylinder 18 is provided with an intake valve 17 and an exhaust valve 18 operated by means of tap ets l9 shifted in the usual way by a cam shaft 20 in the case 1. Similarly, the upper end of the cylinder 15 is provided with an intake valve 21 and an exhaust valve 22' which are operated by rods 28 and 24 respectively likewise controlled from the cam shaft 26.,

being preferably If the engine is to he air r ltl r'fan intake manifold preferably connects the casings of the two valves 17 and 21 and 15 connected to a carbureter 25', and an exhaust manifold (not shown) connects the.

though they may well be otherwise located.

A hollow piston 28 passes through the opening 3 and the packing means above the same, said piston extending through the cylinder 13 into 15 and having packing rings 29 at its upper end engaging the latter. Between its ends the piston 13 is provided with an external circumferential enlargement 30 which serves as a second piston operating in the cylinder 13, said second piston being equipped with piston rings 31. By means of a connecting rod 32 the piston 28 is linked to the crank 33 of a crank shaft 34 which extends through the case 1. Gears 35 and 36 are carried respectively by the shafts 34 and 20 for driving the latter from the former'in the usual manner. The rod 32 is preferably connected with the piston 28 at the point shown, but it may be of any other length which may be found to operate as advantageously.

Between the piston rings 29 and the enlargement 30, the piston 28 is reduced in diameter externally to provide a passage 37 leading from the cylinder 15 to 13, and a plurality of ports 38 are formed through the piston wall to establish communication between the interior of said piston and the passage 37. Other ports 39 lead from the interior of the piston into the cylinder 13 immediately above the enlargement 30, and all or" the ports 38 and 39 serve to conduct oil and air to both cylinders for cooling and lubricating the same. Oil within the crank case 1 will be splashed into the piston 28 by the crank 33 and as the enlargement or piston 30 descends, it creates suction in the upper end of the cylinder 13, through the passage 37, and through the ports 38 and 39, thus drawing oil as well as air from the interior oi the piston into both cylinders to lubricate and cool them. When the piston again moves upwardly the piston 30 expels the oil and air from the upper end of the cvlinder 13 through the pa ssagc 37 and ports 33 and 39. It will thus be obvious that the piston 30 serves as a pump for supplying luln-icating oil and cooling air to the engine,

said piston, however. also acting as a power piston. since between it and the flange (3 an expansion chamber is provided which is of the same capacity as that between the piston 28 and the head of the cylinder 15. To the lower chamber the valve 17 admits the 0X- piosive mixture and 13 controls the exhaust of spent case while the valves 21 and 22 perform the same functions for the upper chamber, all of said valves being operated in proper timed relation by the cam shaft 20. The air may be admitted into the crank case 1 by any suitable means, but by preference the usual breathing tube 40 is employed for this purpose, the upper end of said tube being provided with a dust cap 11 suitably constructed, however, for readily admitting air.

Whereas the usual four-cycle engine only has one working stroke in four, an engine constructed in accordance with the invention creates power on two out of every four strokes. While on the upward stroke with an explosion occurring in the lower chamher, the fuel mixture is compressing in the upper chamber, and while the upper cylinder fires and the piston is driven downwardly, the lower cylinder exhausts. On the ,next upward stroke, the lower cylinder takes in a charge of fuel, while the upper cylinder exhausts. Then, on the downward 'strdke, the lower chamber compresses and is ready to fire, while the upper end of the chamber takes in the mixture. This completes the four strokes and the engine will continue to operate in this manner as long as required. i

From the foregoing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be understood that although the improved englue, is of simple and comparatively inexpensive construction, it will bet-highly cilia cient and durable. For these-reasons, the

arrangement of parts shown constitutes the preferred form of the machine, but it isto be understood that; within the scope of the invention as claimed, numerous changes may be made without sacrificing the principal advantages.

I claim:

1. An internal combustion engine comprising a pair of axially alined cylinders of different diameters, a crank case adapted to contain lubricating oil, a hollow piston having portions working in both cylinders, said piston communicating with said crank case, a crank in said case serving to splash oil upwardly into said piston, a connecting rod between said crank and piston, two series of ports leading respectively into the two cylinders from the interior of the piston and formed through the latter, and a passage establishing communication between the ad jacent ends of the two cylinders, whereby the portion of the piston in the larger cylinder may draw and force air and oil through the ports into the smaller cylinder as well a through those into said larger cylinder.

An internal combustion engine comprising a crank case to contain lubricating oil. a (mnparativcly large cylinder extend ing therefrom and having in its inner end :1 piston receiving opening, a smaller cylindeer in line with the other and extendin Erom the outer piston passing ing and extending through the larger cylinder into "the smallen being in communication with the crank case,

external passage leading from the smaller into the larger cylinder and a plurality of ports leading from its interior into said Passage, said piston also having ports leading irom its interior into the larger cylinder, and an external enlargement below said. last named ports forming a second power piston operating in said larger cyl D lnder, said second piston also forming a, pump to end thereof, a hollow power through the aforesaid opensaid piston having an draw air and oil 'from. the hollow piston through the several ports into the two cylinders and to return such air and oil to sai piston through said ports, a crank in the case acting to splash oil into the hollow piston, and a connecting rod between said crank and piston.

In testimon whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

WILLIAM AUGUST DITTMER.

Witnesses:

T. C. Messier, O. D. MGKEEHEN. 

